When remnants of yeast from beer brewing were discovered in Israel, archaeologists went above and beyond to recreate the beer they drank thousands of years ago.....
Researchers extracted yeast from pottery vessels, and sequenced the full genome of each type of yeast they found ~ tough job, huh? The analysis revealed that the 5,000 year old yeast are similar to African strains, and our own modern beers. They then went on to brew beer with these strains and proclaimed it of high quality and definitely drinkable.
Why did they drink beer 5 - 10 thousand years ago? Because the quality of water was questionable. Brewing beer removed much of the organisms that made their water unsafe to drink ~ especially in larger communities. Remember ~ no water treatment centers or plumbing!
Although it does seem a bit frivolous to go through all of these steps to create an ancient drink, it does give us insights into the life ways of antiquity.
Beer brewing and the beginnings of modern culture go hand in hand. Here's more if you are interested....
Now that's the kind of science I'd like to participate in....
Love, 365
Many of today's popular brews are from Mexico, notorious for it's poor drinking water. Beer, one of man's greatest inventions.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! And these days there is a micro-brewery on almost every corner. :-)
DeleteMe too. If I'm not mistaken, they've also found honey that was buried with the ancient Egyptians.
ReplyDeleteHoney is amazing. It has antibacterial properties that made it a favorite wound dressing in antiquity. It was, and is, highly prized.
DeleteAlso, you should put a Follow widget so that I can remember to visit you.
ReplyDeleteRick
I thought I had a follow widget? Right at the top......
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